Cities, Counties Will See Increase in LGA in 2020

ST. CLOUD -- Cities and counties in Minnesota will be getting more money from the state next year, thanks to an increase in funding for Local Government Aid.

Ruth Wipper is the Finance Director for the city of St. Cloud. She says the LGA funding levels have been returned to what they were 18 years ago.

The legislature that just finished did finally take the total amount of LGA statewide back to what it was in 2002.

Wipper says, because of the way the funding formula works, St. Cloud's LGA amount will be slightly higher than it was in 2002. This year St. Cloud received just over $12.5 million in Local Government Aid. Next year that number will increase by more than $822,000 to over $13.3 million.

Wipper says the money goes into the city's general fund.

It will certainly help, we have lots of priorities as always from potholes, to emerald ash borer, to three elections next year that we have to pay for there's always more needs than there are dollars, so we'll be prioritizing them and putting them where they'll do best for our city.

The preliminary budget for 2020 will be presented to the city council in early August with the final budget approval coming in December.